Looking for harsh critique

[That Cat in the Hat {★}Manfriend]

Like so many others I've always had an interest in photography. I've never even pursued it as a hobby until now.

As they say 'a wise man knows that he knows nothing' so I'm looking for any tips, tricks and tidbits that you folk might be willing to give me.

I've posted below some of the shots I've taken so far, with the edit following the original. All of these were shot with an iPhone and edited in iPhoto with the most amateur of hands.

I really am looking for honest feedback. Feel free to pick these apart and let me know any ways I might be able to improve my framing, composition, editing, etc.

Then here's a couple of photos I took using the Hipstamatic app for the iphone. Because I had nothing to do with the editing it feels a little like cheating, but I'm still kinda proud of the images.

[Little Black Dress Photography]

Hey,
honestly, i like the photos pre i phone edit better, your first picture is good. The picture of Roxy and the bridge could have been good interesting angle but you cut off her feet either get the whole body in the shot or crop it to a half body or something! lol The last photos of Roxy are cool but did you do the posing and lighting or a photographer? Makes all the difference. Anyhow you know Im honest

ttyl

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

I like that the colors are brighter. The blue of the sky really pops in the edited ones. However, I don't like the angel you shot me at with the bridge one. My head looks too small, you can't see my awesome hair, and you cut out my shoes! They matched the shirt perfectly, it was an outfit!!!

[Tifa DeLeone]

Bridge picture:
I'd say practice on the angles and not to cut of any body parts
When a girl is in heels it shapes the whole legs and all in a very good way, let it show.
Use the light better, here half her face is in shadow.
Good light is soo important!

The Hipstamatic are cool since they feel like documented and a bit moody, but we see people using the app everywhere now.

Get a better camera and start practicing! If you have access to Roxy posing for you I'm sure it would be great!
I like that you turned up the colors.

[Aubrey London {Madam}]

I think you did very well!!!! I like the color upgrade in each pic. I agree about the shoes gettig cut off. 2 shots towards the end are really neat. good job. Keep it up.

[Honey B Hooligan {Madam}]

so far, I'm liking these..especially WOW because they're done with an iphone! very cool. Angles and posing could have been better (cutting off Roxy's feet! tsk tsk! I'm sure the shoes were AMAZING), and the last 3 are rad, but you can tell that a different photog did the posing/lighting.

[That Cat in the Hat {★}Manfriend]

Cutting off her feet was a major no-no, I was too focused on the clouds behind her to frame the shot well as is evidenced by the section of sky at the top of the photo. Thanks do indeed to go Edson for the lighting and to Roxy for the beautiful poses on the final three shots. I was just sneaking some shots in during their shoot, and had nothing to do with its direction.

@Tifa - Thanks for the note about the lighting, I noticed in editing that it was really hard to get her face balanced. There was a thin line between too light and way too dark. I'll definitely try to keep that in mind in the future. And you're totally right, everyone I tell about Hipstamatic responds with "OMFG I totally neeeed that!"... I think I'm gonna stop mentioning it, lol.

[J-Red]

Slightly too much zoom in the composition. Color ballance is slightly blue, but that look is still in style. You might try a slightly wider lens angle, but still get close to the subject, using breath mints as needed.

That Cat in the Hat {★} said:

Cutting off her feet was a major no-no, I was too focused on the clouds behind her to frame the shot well as is evidenced by the section of sky at the top of the photo. Thanks do indeed to go Edson for the lighting and to Roxy for the beautiful poses on the final three shots. I was just sneaking some shots in during their shoot, and had nothing to do with its direction.

@Tifa - Thanks for the note about the lighting, I noticed in editing that it was really hard to get her face balanced. There was a thin line between too light and way too dark. I'll definitely try to keep that in mind in the future. And you're totally right, everyone I tell about Hipstamatic responds with "OMFG I totally neeeed that!"... I think I'm gonna stop mentioning it, lol.

[Edson Carlos]

It's important to note that this is "iPhoneography" Thus the critique should be based on composition and subject matter ignoring all rules and color accuracy. The world of LoFi is supportive of a "shoot from the hip" style. Raw is good, crazy angle is good, crazy colors is good. Kinda like you're trying to take a photo that looks good but doesn't look like you tried to make it so ;)

With that said, onto #1:

With something like a bridge that slices thru a photograph, it's a great chance to create movement with your shot, in this case the tower on the left is "sliced", I would have probably lined up the camera with the edge of that tower creating a nice "anchor" point for the bridge to shoot out from. Lines and symmetry are fun, play with them in the boundaries of your viewfinder. I like the more saturated colors, captures the feel of the sun that morning.

#2, She pops, I dig it. Only feedback is watch the clipping of ankles, either slice at the thighs or the chest.

#3, beautiful colors here! I would have eliminated the bigger chest and focused on capturing the small red case, the book and the fish in a square format frame.

#4 I love the fly on the wall feel of this shot.

#5 I could do without

#6 Great capture of a moment in time. Perfect dark treatment on it, very ummm somber.

Keep snappin!

[sarajean]

Sorry, but anyone can take a good picture with an iphone....It's kind of like cheating. Invest in a real camera. Get passionate!

[Honey B Hooligan {Madam}]

what's a real camera?? I'm genuinely curious. Is my digital point 'n shoot a real one? or do I have to pay a billion dollars for a "real" one?

sarajean said:

Sorry, but anyone can take a good picture with an iphone....It's kind of like cheating. Invest in a real camera. Get passionate!

[Edson Carlos]

I'm really sorry doll but if there was even a snippet of truth to that statement, the worlds top photographers would ditch their cameras worth thousands for body alone and pick up $400 iPhones...

The iPhone does nothing more than put a decent camera in the hands of many. If you handed TC a DSLR he would have a hard time getting an image that wasn't pitch black, but if I set it up for him and handed it to him he'd have the same eye he has with his iPhone. Add to that some knowledge and he'd have control infinitely better than what he could have ever dreamed of with his iPhone.

It's like comparing a die hard vinyl dj with a digital one, I came up from vinyl, i learned on it, lived it, breathed it. When I made the switch to digital MIDI gave me power beyond what I could have ever dreamed and my mixes are more like mini productions vs just being a beautiful transition from track to track. Is one mix better than the other? Not really, just different strokes for different folks...VIVA LA LOFI!


sarajean said:

Sorry, but anyone can take a good picture with an iphone....It's kind of like cheating. Invest in a real camera. Get passionate!

[Honey B Hooligan {Madam}]

aaaaand enter Edson with my Zen for the Day.

Edson {PL Team} said:

I'm really sorry doll but if there was even a snippet of truth to that statement, the worlds top photographers would ditch their cameras worth thousands for body alone and pick up $400 iPhones...

The iPhone does nothing more than put a decent camera in the hands of many. If you handed TC a DSLR he would have a hard time getting an image that wasn't pitch black, but if I set it up for him and handed it to him he'd have the same eye he has with his iPhone. Add to that some knowledge and he'd have control infinitely better than what he could have ever dreamed of with his iPhone.

It's like comparing a die hard vinyl dj with a digital one, I came up from vinyl, i learned on it, lived it, breathed it. When I made the switch to digital MIDI gave me power beyond what I could have ever dreamed and my mixes are more like mini productions vs just being a beautiful transition from track to track. Is one mix better than the other? Not really, just different strokes for different folks...


sarajean said:

Sorry, but anyone can take a good picture with an iphone....It's kind of like cheating. Invest in a real camera. Get passionate!